Blog

Pitch: Lilia’s husband and son are on the shuttle to Mars, but she’s given up her seat to save a child. Now she must brave an apocalyptic Midwest to find another launch – before the asteroid hits.

First 250 Word of Manuscript:
I wasn’t planning to deceive him. Not after eight years of marriage. Not on his last day on Earth. I didn’t even know I was going to do it until it happened. It was as if the decision wasn’t my own, as if it had been made for me eons ago, set in motion by all these events tumbling beyond my control.

To clarify, I didn’t lie to my husband. But I certainly sucked him into my deception – my enormous, life-altering deception. And there was nothing he could do about it once it was spoken.

Conveniently, he was already strapped into his seat, positioned protectively next to our little boy, on the way to the shuttle that was destined to remove us from this world. So I didn’t have to worry about him leaping up to argue with me, beg me to change my mind, or simply pick me up and force me into my own seat, if he were the kind of guy to do that sort of thing.

The seat, though, was no longer my own. That was the crux of the accidental deception.

We planned for weeks to take our trip into the vast unknown. I’d obsessively made list after list of what we would bring in our allotted luggage – three bags, one for each of us. Our lives were meant to be crammed into three bags, and how on Earth can you do that?

How on Earth. What would the new expression be? “How on Mars” just didn’t sound right.

We’d love your comments but ask that you please keep it polite. Although your views are definitely your own, we do not condone harassment or bullying and don’t want to see it here.
We reserve the right to delete any comments for any reason, including being abusive, profane or off topic.

We're thrilled at the different ways those in our Pitch Wars community are giving back—and we encourage them to do so. However, please keep in mind that Pitch Wars is not affiliated with any of these various contests, promotions, etc., including those of our mentors and mentees.
Promoting any such opportunities via our social media channels doesn't imply endorsement or affiliation. We encourage you to do your research before participating.

Pitch Wars is a mentoring program where published/agented authors, editors, or industry interns choose one writer each, read their entire manuscript, and offer suggestions on how to make the manuscript shine for an agent showcase.